Catholic church's crackdown on poverty-fighting nuns all about dogma

Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty ImagesPope Benedict XVI is pictured in this file photo. The Star-Ledger editorial board says the church's crackdown on American nuns is all about dogma.

The Vatican, in its infinite wisdom, has spoken: American nuns, out there on the front lines helping the sick and suffering, are spending way too much time fighting poverty and economic injustice, and not enough time agitating against abortion and gay marriage. Instead, they should just do what the bishops tell them to.

It even assigned an archbishop to knock all the wayward sisters back in line. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the most prominent U.S. Catholic nuns’ group, said it was “stunned” by the crackdown. But it shouldn’t be. This isn’t about faith. It’s about dogma and it’s about politics.

Problem is, American nuns have become too educated. They now lead their schools, hospitals and charities. They minister to people on the margins of society, those who are discriminated against. And they recognize the church hierarchy for what it is: woefully out of touch, hypocritical and determined to stifle any dissent about the priorities of the male leadership.

How else could it publicly castigate legions of hardworking nuns for being “silent” on abortion and homosexuality, while quietly harboring the miscreant priests who abuse children?

This isn’t just about the bishops’ fear of losing power, though. There’s also political payback here. The Vatican clamp-down comes right after the battle over elements of President Obama’s health care law, which publicly pitted some nuns against the bishops. Both initially opposed the mandate that even religiously affiliated employers offer birth control coverage. Yet unlike the bishops, the most influential group of American nuns was willing to accept Obama’s compromise, which required only insurance companies — and not religious institutions — to offer it.

These nuns work directly on poverty and health care issues, and recognize the reality: Ninety-eight percent of sexually active Catholic women have used birth control. It’s one of the most effective ways of preventing abortions. Seeking to block women’s access to it will only hurt families and public health.

The bishops are more concerned with protecting the institution. Yet the Vatican warns that any public disagreement with them is unacceptable.

So when the bishops profess to speak the conscience of American Catholics, be wary. You’re probably better off asking a nun.